


merry christmas

by lixenby



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Christmas, Kinda open ending?, M/M, Zombie Apocalypse, and minho just loves him too much to say no, chan and hyunjin are mentioned, did i mention they're in a zombie apocalypse, i don't know how to tag things i've only ever posted on this darn website once, jisung wants to build a snowman, makes u sad at the end tho, mostly fluff??, overprotective Minho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:42:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28120338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lixenby/pseuds/lixenby
Summary: Jisung (kinda) drags Minho into the freezing cold to build a snowman.It's also their second year into the apocalypse, but that's only a factor to make you sad.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 7
Kudos: 59





	merry christmas

**Author's Note:**

> my friend told me i should post this here bc its the first fic i've finished writing in probably years and i fell for it because i love them. i got the prompt from one of those otp prompt generators and i showed it to them and we both agreed that this is my specialty bc i write apocalypse aus literally 24/7
> 
> so uh.... enjoy
> 
> (p.s. large portions of text that are italicized are minho's memories, just in case u needed that clarification!)

Minho and Jisung haven't celebrated Christmas in two years. It's not like they have much of a choice - the world is too dead for bright colorful lights and carefully wrapped presents. 

As the first snow began to fall across the lawn of the old woodland cabin the two had found refuge in, Minho began to think about what they would be doing if the world hadn't been plagued two years ago. Hell, they were lucky enough to even survive the first day, with rotted corpses clawing into their shared apartment at just past three in the morning. It had been summer, then, but when winter approached, neither Minho nor Jisung questioned the concept of Christmas. It just couldn't happen.

If Minho had been good enough at keeping track of time, he knew it'd be around the start of December by now. It was cold enough, and the snow outside gave it away that he was at least somewhat right.

He glanced around the small living area of the cabin until his eyes landed on the figure curled up on the sofa next to the fire. Jisung, buried underneath three blankets, had already been awake for a few days since they arrived at the cabin, unable to shake off the memories playing in his head that kept him wide awake. Eventually, Minho had managed to convince Jisung that he was safe, that Minho would protect him and never let any harm come to the younger while he rested, and Jisung finally passed out a few hours before now.

Those words were as true as Minho could make them. He's made the mistake in the past of letting Jisung get hurt, and there was still a nasty scar across his cheek just to dig into the pit of guilt Minho still held for that day. He swore to himself, to his mother(rest in peace), and to Jisung that he would never allow any harm to come to him if he could help it. Taking care of himself during an apocalypse was a chore, but Minho knew Jisung would probably die alone; he had no doubts that he had become dependent on him. Minho didn't mind. He would rather let Jisung depend on him - and no one else. He made another mistake of leaving Jisung in someone else's care once, and he had almost lost Jisung in the process. Minho made a lot of mistakes, so he wondered why Jisung dared to put up with him anymore.

Winter wind pushed harshly at the cabin, causing something to fall and rattle outside, and Minho watched as Jisung, so light a sleeper, stirred from the sound. Mother Nature dared to disrupt Jisung's rest, and Minho mentally cursed her for it as he quietly stepped over to his slowly waking boyfriend. Jisung's eyes cracked open just as Minho crouched in front of him, and for a moment he looked ready to jump back until Minho reached up and rested his hand on Jisung's shoulder.

"Min…?" Jisung mumbled, voice low and rough from the soft snores in his sleep. He shuffled underneath the blankets until his hand was barely reaching out to Minho, and Minho took it with a small smile towards the younger.

"You can still sleep, love. The sun isn't up yet."

A hum sounded from under the blankets, as Jisung had burrowed back down under them for warmth. Maybe Jisung was going along with what Minho had told him, and was ready to doze back off again - Minho was fine with that. He adjusted his position until he was sitting beside the sofa, head resting on the cushion next to where Jisung's hand was sticking out of the covers, still held by Minho's own. 

Minho didn't mind, really. Jisung needed sleep. Four days was probably the longest Minho had seen him awake - ever - and any longer probably would have resulted in the younger passing out while they're not even in the cabin. Minho had planned to go venture back to the town nearby in search of supplies, as their food was getting low, but he didn't want to take an exhausted Jisung out into the dangerous cold that awaited them. Even if Minho had been awake for just as long as Jisung had, he was fine. Sleep was something he had gotten used to not having, amongst many other things that the apocalypse had taken from him.

At least, Minho thought he would be fine. Barely a few minutes after he had gotten comfortable next to the sofa Jisung rested on, Jisung tugging on his hand roused Minho from the half-slumber he had fallen into. He looked up to find Jisung staring at him with a worried, longing look.

"What's up, Jiji?"

"You need sleep too, hyung." 

Minho shook his head. "I'll be alright, doll. Someone needs to be awake to keep you safe."

Jisung's ears turned redder from the comment, the heat from the fire having already turned them a soft pink, but his expression didn't falter. "You literally just fell asleep the moment you got comfy."

"I got distracted! Just go back to sleep-"

"Hyung…"

Minho stared back up into Jisung's eyes, and he could tell the younger had become upset with him already. He was hit with a pang of guilt once again as Minho's eyes traced the fading scar across Jisung's cheek, and even more so when he glanced back and took in the puppy eyes Jisung had been giving him. 

"Nothing can get in. The door is blocked, the windows are all blocked, the attic is boarded up. We've checked every room four times each in case something is hiding. As long as it stays like this, Minho, we're safe enough that we can sleep at the same time for once. So please," Jisung paused, letting go of Minho's hand to pull the blankets aside and make room on the tiny sofa. "Rest. Just for a bit, please?"

This was Jisung's talent. He could practically read Minho's mind - he knew the older would worry about whether they were safe enough, would worry that somehow something would get in, would worry that if he wasn't awake, something would happen and Jisung would get hurt again. He knew exactly what Minho was worried about even if he hadn't voiced it. He knew how to comfort Minho and, at the same time, demand something from him, although it was really a demand for Minho to take care of himself more.

_ "You need to eat something, hyung. I know there's not enough rations for everyone, but you gave me enough to share." _

_ "Finger off the trigger, Minho. There's nothing here, we triple checked. You'll end up firing by accident." _

_ "It's… it's just a cut, I'm fine, Minho - you can't even walk! We can get more bandages later, but these aren't being used on anything but that fucking bullet in your leg." _

Sometimes, Minho feels that Jisung takes more care of him than he does of Jisung.

"Alright. Just for a bit."

Minho slowly got up from his spot and carefully climbed onto the sofa, leaning against the back of it while Jisung climbed over him until he was resting with his head buried in Minho's neck and his arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. His hands rested on Jisung's back, smoothing down his jacket and rubbing his back soothingly, and Minho nuzzled his face in his hair lovingly. 

There was still the unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach that if Minho fell asleep, something bad would happen - like somehow someone would break in and hurt them, hurt Minho, hurt  _ his  _ Jisung.  _ Minho's Jisung.  _ It bothered him to no end, even as Minho felt his eyes slowly falling closed and fought desperately to keep them open. He shuffled to get more comfortable, giving a soft apology to Jisung, who had whined at the movement but otherwise had started to fall back asleep.

_ "Minho hyung?" Jisung called, head raising so he could look Minho in the eyes. _

_ Minho blinked tiredly, humming in response, and he glanced anywhere he could to avoid Jisung's worried gaze. A pair of cold hands came up to rest against his cheeks, and Minho leaned into the touch. _

_ "You need to sleep, hyung. Chan and Hyunjin are keeping watch, so you can sleep all you want until the morning." _

_ "But… what if-" _

_ "Nothing will happen, Minho. I promise." _

_ The words silenced him, along with Jisung leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, and Minho's hands tightened in the fabric of Jisung's hoodie. He followed when Jisung pulled away, capturing the younger in a more wanting, more needy kiss - as if Minho needed more reassurance. Jisung was happy to respond. _

_ When they finally settled down, Jisung leaned back further and moved to pull his hoodie over his head. _

_ "Jisung, it's cold- you'll get sick," Minho cried, watching almost in horror as the hoodie was tossed to the side and Jisung dove back down to cuddle closer to the older. _

_ "All I need to stay warm is you, hyung." _

_ Minho was quiet once again, and a million thoughts raced through his head, until he felt gentle fingers rubbing small shapes and words and whatever into his arm. Somehow, that was enough to comfort him, and before long, Minho was out like a light. _

The first thing Minho noticed when he woke again was the lack of warmth in the living area of the cabin. The second thing he noticed was the lack of Jisung in his arms, and he immediately shot up, quickly looking around for his partner. Was Jisung okay? Why did he get up?

The incessant noise in Minho's head only seemed to get worse when he heard small footsteps shuffling from the hallway, and he slowly peeked over the back of the sofa. He couldn't see down the hall from the angle, and by instinct he reached for the knife in his pocket - only to turn up empty-handed. Great.

The footsteps stopped somewhere in the middle of the hallway, if Minho heard right, but he waited. He waited, and waited, until through the silence that had fallen over the cabin was interrupted by soft humming.

It's just Jisung.

It's just Jisung, Minho thought, as he watched the boy wrapped in three jackets and Minho's scarf appear from around the corner, and he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. The sound startled Jisung enough that he stopped humming, searching for the source until his eyes landed on Minho, who was sat up tall and alert on the sofa with a hand on his chest, as if to calm his heart.

"You okay?"

Minho nodded. "Yeah, I- I just-"

Jisung was by his side in a second, wrapping his arms gently around the older. "I'm sorry I left you, hyung. I wanted to let you sleep, and I really needed to pee. I should've told you."

"It's okay. I was just… worried. I woke up and you weren't here, and I heard footsteps in the hall, so I got scared."

"It's okay to be scared, Minho. It's all you really can be, anymore," Jisung said, and he ran a hand through Minho's hair as he spoke. The older leaned into the touch, looking up at Jisung while he stared towards one of the windows. There was a distant look in his eyes, one that Minho knew so well, but it turned into a sparkling one as Jisung seemed to gain an idea. "I noticed it's snowing outside."

"Sure is," Minho said, his eyes following where Jisung was staring to watch as the snowflakes fell outside. "Which means it'll only get colder. But at least the monsters will slow down, right?"

Jisung stayed quiet for a moment, then looked back to Minho. There was a new emotion swirling in his dark brown eyes, one Minho hadn't seen in years. 

"You wanna go build a snowman?"

No matter how much Minho protested, despite literally being in the process of moving a shelf from in front of the door per Jisung's wishes, Jisung was adamant that they at least step outside and experience the winter snow together. He promised to Minho that it was safe, that they would be able to tell if there was something coming. He made sure Minho understood that nothing was hiding outside to grab them and hurt them while they weren't paying attention. 

If only Minho could express how grateful he was that Jisung was able to make him so gullible like this, he would.

It mostly just started with Jisung tracing shapes into the snow, feeling the ice against his fingertips. Minho stood back to watch both Jisung and the woods that surrounded them, but at some point he felt something heavy hit the front of his jacket.

White snow fell onto his hand from where it had hit him, and only then did he realized Jisung had just thrown a snowball at him. 

"It's safe, Minho. The only thing that'll bite is the frost." There's a playful, beautiful smile on Jisung's face.

And so, Minho gave in.

They started with two small balls of snow, just enough to fit into their hands, and Jisung had already set off to roll his through the snow that coated the forest floor when Minho looked up from his own small task. For a while, Minho was still worried; at any moment, their calm moment could be interrupted. It didn't take long for him to ease into it, though. 

Eventually, they settled on making a snow-dog instead, because there wasn't enough snow on the ground to make a good-looking snowman, and they wouldn't need sticks for the arms. Minho had become so focused on shaping the dog's nose to his liking when he realized the crunching of snow under Jisung's feet was getting farther away, and his head shot up to see Jisung slowly walking away from the cabin.

"Jisung!"

Jisung looked back, almost scared, but he fell into a smile as he turned around. "Need help?"

"Don't walk off, please."

"It's alright, Min. I won't go far. You'll be able to see me from here, I promise; I just want to see if I can find some leaves or rocks to use."

Minho opened his mouth to speak, but Jisung had already turned back around, and before he could stop himself, Minho quickly ran after the younger, grabbing his hand as he fell into a walk beside Jisung. 

"If you're too far from me-"

"You get scared. I know. It's alright," Jisung said with a sigh, giving a light squeeze to Minho's hand before looking back down to the ground as he kicked away the snow in search of something to use on their little project.

They picked up a few small rocks and sticks, mostly because Jisung brought up the idea of making tinier snowmen - "friends for the puppy", as Jisung had said it. When they tracked back to where Minho had started on the snow-dog, Jisung let out a giggle, and Minho found it was because the snowy nose of the dog had somehow fallen to the ground.

By time the sun had fully risen, there was an almost finished snow-dog and three tiny snowmen beside it standing in front of the cabin. Minho had finally managed to get the nose of the dog to stick to its actual head, and was pressing rocks above it to serve as eyes.

Minho had entirely forgotten that they were living in an apocalypse. He had forgotten the feeling of being unsafe, of being terrified of everything around every corner, and it was all thanks to Jisung asking him to build snowmen together. Well, a snow-dog and three small snowmen, but it still counted. Anything counted for Jisung.

"He's adorable, Minho hyung!" Jisung approached from behind, and Minho hadn't even flinched like he normally would. Instead, he let a small smile cross his face.

"Something's missing, though."

"Hmm.. I think I know what he needs." Minho watched as Jisung stepped around him, pulling a scarf gently around the neck of the snow-dog and wrapping it until it stayed in place. It took barely a second for Minho to register that it was the one Jisung had been wearing.

"Jisung… you'll get a cold," Minho said, eyeing the younger with worry, while only a bright smile was returned to him.

Jisung reached out towards Minho to help him stand, and when Minho was on his feet, Jisung intertwined their hands and leaned against him. "All I need to stay warm is you, remember?"

They wouldn't ever mention it, but they were glad they had been able to forget about everything they had been running from in the past two years. 

Even later, when the snow had somehow thawed and refrozen and the scarf fell to the ground, damp and dirty from the snow and and forest floor, and there was only Jisung to pick it up and allow tears to flow down his cheeks and sobs to wrack his body at the memories the cloth had given him, he was glad that they had been able to forget about the end of the world for a day. 

"Merry Christmas, hyung," he whispered into the fabric of the scarf. 

**Author's Note:**

> the reason i said its open ending is bc i couldnt figure out how to end it and i decided to make it as vague as possible but also hint to something really sad - because what is a max lixenby fanfic without emotional pain?
> 
> i apologize if my writing is terrible but like. i read over this thing four fucking times and i only fixed like two sentences total because i was too busy squealing over my own fic :/
> 
> if u wanna yell at me my twt is @enbygahyeon just do it kindly


End file.
